Anthony Andreozzi W6 Julien Baptiste.... Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi captured the vacant Massachusetts middleweight title on “Jimmy Farrell Fight Night” at the Bridgewater Veterans Club in Bridgewater. The inaugural show honored the late boxing trainer who coached many successful amateur and pro boxers in the Boston area during the past four-plus decades. A portion of the show’s proceeds was donated to Old Colony Hospice in Farrell’s memory. The main event matched an aggressive brawler, Andreozzi, against a pure boxer, Julien Baptiste. Andreozzi, of Swansea, took the fight to Woburn’s Baptiste in the opening round, landing the more damaging punches. Switching often between an orthodox and southpaw stance, the entertaining Andreozzi kept up the pace, peppering Baptiste with a wide assortment of punches.
In the third, Andreozzi kept beating Baptiste to the punch, as well as showboating in a display of confidence against a growingly frustrated Baptiste, who did get in a few solid shots in the fourth to get back in the fight. Baptiste started letting his hands go more, cracking Andreozzi several times during some exciting exchanges. Andreozzi rest and went back to what was so successful for him during the first half of the fight, working off the jab and moving forward.
The title belt seemed to be up for grabs going into the sixth and final round, in which the two fighters went toe-to-toe right to the end. Andreozzi (4-2, 1 KO) won a six-round majority decision versus Baptiste (4-3, 2 KOs). Andreozzi vs. Baptiste was supposed to happen this past August, however, Andreozzi fell sick hours before the show and was canceled.
“This feels amazing,” Andreozzi commented after the fight. “I live for this. I have a little cut lip from some incidental headbutts, but I’m a crasher. His trainer’s words (questioning why he didn’t fight in August when he didn’t fight) was the reason I fought like this. His words were in my head since that night. I wrote ‘em on the mirror so I saw it every day when I shaved.”
“Anthony and Julien saved the show,” promoter Chris Traietti added. “People saw a fight they will remember for years. Congratulations to Anthony for coming out on top and that opens things up for his future,. And Julien is not done.”
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Pro-debuting Stephen “Jason” Davis (1-0, 1 KO), fighting out of nearby Brockton, and junior welterweight Lucinei Santos (0-6) barely got started when Santos was suddenly decked. He fell awkwardly and was unable to continue at the 51-second mark of round one due to an injury.
New York light heavyweight Scott ”Bombz” Lampert (4-6, 2KOs) came into the ring true to his nickname against Michael Medeiros (0-3), firing bombs from all angles against his overmatched opponent. Medeiros was decked four times, the last set up by a body shot, followed quickly by a perfect left-right combination to the head, resulting in a second-round knockout.
Heavyweight Kirk Wilmont (2-0,2KOs), of Brockton, opened the show with a pounding of Aquilla Prote (0-2). Wilmont dropped Prote twice in the opening round, effectively mixing shots up and down to the head and body. In the second round. Wilmont closed the show with a powerful right that sent Prote to the canvas for the third time. Once again, he barely beat the 10-count but this time he stood on wobbly legs, and referee Melissa Kelly halted the bout.
As for the late Jimy Farrell, this was a nght of tribute. “Jimmy meant a lot to me and so many others in New England boxing,” Granite Chin Promotions president Chris Traietti said. “We wanted to honor him in a special way. I felt that naming a Pro-Am show after him was the best way to pay tribute to Jimmy. We plan on making this an annual event.”
